Letter: Linn Brooks for Holy Cross Board
I support Linn Brooks for the Holy Cross Energy board.
I got to know Linn first during my time on staff at the Eagle River Watershed Council. More recently, I was fortunate to overlap with Linn for more than two years with her as the general manager and me on the board of the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District. Linn is a thoughtful, solutions-oriented leader who listens more than she speaks and is able to distill down complex challenges into actionable steps forward.
Linn spent 23 years at the Water & Sanitation District, the last 11 of those as general manager. She has a deep understanding of utility management and everything that goes along with that — shifting regulatory conditions, adaptations to a growing community and changing climate, and billing rate structures that account for and work within those changing situations, while still being affordable for local users.
Water and power are inextricably connected here in the West. During Linn’s tenure, the Water & Sanitation District electrified their vehicle fleet, captured waste heat from a wastewater treatment plant to heat Avon Town Hall and the pools at the Avon Rec Center, and piloted the Peak-Time Payback Program at the Edwards wastewater plant, reducing energy use and retiming energy demand to reduce costs for all Holy Cross customers. On the Holy Cross board, she will continue on with this push for electrification and shifting to renewable energy sources.
The nexus between water and power has never been so apparent or striking as we face continued drought in the Colorado River Basin and the associated draw down of Lakes Powell and Mead, with significant consequences to both water and power. Linn is steeped in Big River conversations about exactly these issues and understands what is at stake. Her commitment to continued electrification and renewable energy will make our community more resilient to climate change while keeping energy affordable.
Because I live in Minturn (and therefore outside of the Holy Cross service area), I can’t actually vote for Linn in this election, but I hope you do!
Kate Burchenal
Minturn